


Belle of the Ball

by LittleRaven



Category: Stoker (2013)
Genre: Angst, Ficlet, Gen, Halloween, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Parent-Child Relationship, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRaven/pseuds/LittleRaven
Summary: Evelyn wanted to be picked.
Relationships: Evelyn Stoker & India Stoker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5
Collections: Shipoween 2020 - The Halloween Ship Exchange!





	Belle of the Ball

**Author's Note:**

  * For [derwent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/derwent/gifts).



Evelyn wanted to be picked. A flower, an exquisite lily; she'd grown up being told she was this, something to be cherished and shown off. 

Well, and it was at least partly on her to do the showing. Keep the house beautiful, though it seemed Mrs. McGarrick took care of that more smoothly than she could ever learn to; keep her daughter neat and lovely, though she ran into the woods both with and without her father; keep herself beautiful too, not that it mattered when her husband was too busy with their daughter. 

Rightly so, as India was meant to be the most important woman in both their lives. The key word, Evelyn thought, was both. 

India was a quiet child, which Evelyn supposed was well enough for a girl, as long as she could also display charm and civility when brought into contact with others. Her mother was meant to ensure she could meet the minimum standard for that. 

She would not be seen to have failed. Whatever India preferred, or had learned to prefer with Richard, Evelyn would teach her the things the world expected of her, and the girl would learn. Perhaps she would even like them, given a real opportunity to gain a taste for Evelyn’s life. They were mother and daughter. There was meant to be a bond. 

Evelyn would do her part to create one, of course. She could be a mother. 

A wife, too. This week was Halloween. Her house—her husband’s house—would be lively with it; she knew Richard didn’t much care for parties, but he was kind enough to always be there for the important ones. She would be lively too, as she was whenever smiles surrounded her. 

The pink silk dress was smooth under her hands as she ran them over the trailing sleeves. Medieval princess chic. She hung it up in her daughter’s closet. It was the first slinky costume India would ever wear, now that she was sixteen years old. For a girl who liked to do whatever she pleased, India didn’t seem to appreciate the fine things she was given. Maybe now that she was growing up, and not required to play the child in the ruffled, cake-like dresses of earlier years, she would begin to enjoy them. India had always said the dresses were suffocating, when Evelyn could get her to communicate beyond glances and a tilting of the head. 

This weekend, October 31st would be perfect. Evelyn might even gain a daughter.


End file.
